MUSKEGON, MI – Western Michigan Christian’s Nate Dugener missed the first six shots he took Friday night.

Fortunately for the Warriors, that didn’t stop him from taking a few more.

The sophomore scored 12 second-half points, including three huge 3-pointers to help WMC defeat Muskegon Catholic Central 62-56 in the MLive Muskegon Chronicle Game of the Week.

“It’s a team game when Nate Dugener can get it going,” said WMC coach Kyle Mastenbrook. “It was great that we had a team around him because it was the team building him up after he missed his first couple shots. His teammates put a lot of confidence in him to make the next ones.”

In a game where the Warriors were tied at halftime and held just a four-point lead after three quarters, it was Dugener, the smallest player on the floor, who made a huge difference.

His first 3-pointer gave WMC a 43-39 lead with less than a minute to go in the third quarter and his final 3-pointer stretched the Warrior lead to 55-43, a deficit the Crusaders could never overcome.

“In a game like this, a rivalry game, there’s always an unsung hero that makes the difference in the game,” said MCC coach Lamar Jordan. “I don’t know his name, but No. 30 (Dugener) did do a great job of knocking down shots. We lost him a couple times and that’s something you really can’t prepare for, if 30 is going to beat us by knocking down those shots, then I can live with that.”

Dugener, a transfer from Lansing Catholic Central, did not play the first half of the season because of Michigan High School Athletic Association transfer rules.

He said the decision to transfer to WMC was an easy one, even if it wasn’t going to be easy at first.

“I felt like I was more connected to the guys here and they made me feel more like I was family,” he said. “That was a big part of me making my move. It was a little nerve-wracking for me the first couple days at school and getting to know guys. But once I settled in, it was fine and they really helped me out with that.”

Dugener’s father, Matt, serves as an assistant coach on the team, which has only helped with Nate’s transition.

Mastenbrook said that even though Dugener has only been able to play since Jan. 20, he has helped the Warriors in practice all season.

“He’s been at practice every day from the beginning,” Mastenbrook said. “We didn’t really cover 3-point shooters very well because we didn’t really have a great 3-point shooter to cover in practice, so he’s helped us since then."